The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-01-22
A MONSTER OAK.
The Historic Tree Taken From the Bed ri
the River Rhone in France.

although the object of our visit was no
to see large antediluvian <fks. TIL
advertisement was so tempting, tn,
distance 50 short to reach the spot. an,
the idea so novel, that we turned on
steps toward the Seine where this oal
was exhibited on boat especially bull
for its reception and exhibition.
Whatever scientists may think of it
we will only undertake to describe it a
it appeared to us. The account of wher
1t was found is not the least curiou
portion of its history. The bed of tn
Rhone, above the village of Yenne i
very wide, but becomes very narrow
not exceeding five hundred feet at TIL
foot of Fort Pere Chatel. 1t appears tina
after the freshets in the Rhone TIL
waters of that river were unusual,
low. AT this point, imbedded deepl,
in the sand, this giant tree was found
A bargeman perceived a branchF
little above the surface Of II
water. After several soundings he b
N"ih0 "0o"l0't uh'tU uiils pLdlcI WE. "
tached to a tree of grew .fief,gfl ans 4 =
The level of the Rhone being yav
changeable, the difficulties and doubfll
success delayed the undertaking of NE
costly work for some time. Thcree
was watched for ten long years. Alast
favorite time presented itself h the
unusual fall of the waters of the khone
and from singular accident. il Sep
TENDER, 1888, in consequence of Ghe sill
ding Of the mountain Of Lillu6, near
Bellegarde department of Ain, France)
which, it will be remembered carried
away the Cologne tunnel on he Lyons
and Geneva line, the Rhone WIS divided
into two streams by this oak. This bar
to navigation would have proved a vic
tim to dynamite if the engineers and
men of science had not interposed. BY
the aid of $50 sturdy workmen the feat
of the removal was accomplished in $50
days. Twenty times the ropes and
windlasses gave way before the work
was finished. Finally, amid the shouts
of the peasantry, the huge tree was safely
landed on the 25th of March, 1854. Its
dimensions are: length, 102 feet; cir
conference, % feet Z inches; cube,
HALO; weight, 121, 200 pounds. One
limb which remains near the top is as
large as the largest oak of the French
forests. The top of this tree broken
off would probably have made the
full length of trunk 164 feet.
The bark would have made q
great addition to the circumference.
This tree is undoubtedly the Quercus
Of the ancients. One can look ut il
and imagine all sorts of romantic sights
which have passed before it, and, as
tastes differ in this respect. | will leave
your readers to their own lively imagi
nation to cover this picture as they
choose. The scrubby trees TWIN.
their roots abC-lt the rocks in the|neigh
borhood can claim no relationship t.
this huge monster.
1t is an oak, it must be remembered
and as such its proportions are large
although his cousins of the Yosemite
valley could exhibit him as dwarf The
proof seems indisputable that this tree
could not obtain its growth in less thar
one thousand years, and whether ant
how it resisted the flood for various
reasons | will omit to explain. The
Carolina oaks attain a height of ninety
feet, but are not so large as thi:
specimen. This oak is straight, ant
branches out at nearly a height Of
ninety feet. The tree is firmly braced
in the center of an iron boat 125 il
length and eighteen feet in width, anC
admits of convenient passage around
it and is covered and inclosed, and car
thus traverse all the rivers and canal.
Of the continent, and could withstand
quite heavy sea. This ingeniously
cOntrived boat has a center-board which
preserves its equilibrium, and a con
trivance for lowering in the water, Sc
that it can pass underneath bridges
The color of this oak, owing
to the length of time it has beer
in the water, is black as ebony
1t has not in the slightest degret
become carbonized; as is demon
strated by cutting into some of the de
tached branches. If it would not BIZ
sacrilegious to destroy such namra
chef d'@UUre it would make splerdit
furniture, and at such a price as wollt
insure small fortune. We can no
close this description without alludin,
to continuance that unfortunately at
tracted our attention, which on closi
inspection proved to be a large bras
plate placed over a knot-hole, hollowet
out about midway of the length of tn
tree, bearing this inscription: "Do no
forget the employees" We had alread
paid for admission, but we dropped i
something, as we thought if the attend
ants were dependent upon their EN-
ployers, instead of strangers, they woul
be badly off.-PariS Cor. albany Argus
Electrical Stoves.